What you can fix with what you can carry (touring)

3 April 2019

This seminar is designed for cyclists who want to learn the basics of on-the-road or on-the-trail maintenance. We presume no prior experience with repairing bicycles and we focus on fundamental concepts that apply to all bicycles, including road bikes, touring bikes, and mountain bikes.

WHAT YOU CAN FIX WITH WHAT YOU CAN CARRY

TOURING EDITION

What you should carry for the tour:

Lights

Will you be travelling at night?

Will you be camping?

Power

Rechargeable batteries for lights

Power source to charge phone

Food

Will you be near or passing through towns?

Do you want to cook your own?

Clothes

Spare shirt, socks, shorts

Hygiene

Towel

Toothbrush / toothpaste

Toilet roll

Deodorant (Do you want to make friends at pubs?)

Sleeping gear

Tent

Sleeping bag

Pad

Tools & parts

Multi-tool

Pump

Tubes

Patch kit

Tyre levers

Cables: gear / brake

Small adjustable wrench

WHAT YOU CAN FIX

SPINNY THINGS

What you can carry:

adjustable wrench

multi-tool with up to 8mm Allen key (depending on your cranks)

chain tool

Hubs

If a wheel isn’t spinning freely, the hub bearings might be over tightened or dirty. This is difficult to fix on the roadside, but you might be able to loosen them up with a small adjustable wrench.

To do this, use the dropouts in the fork as a vice.

Clamp the wheel into the fork – switch it around if you must – and use the adjustable wrench to loosen the non-clamped side.

Cranks / bottom bracket

Ensure that the cranks are torqued correctly. Bottom brackets will make noise prior to seizing, so you’ll have time to find a replacement or to service bearings, as applicable.

Listen for squeaks and grinds.

Note that poorly lubricated chains will be very squeaky. Before you panic about the bottom bracket, ensure your chain is in good condition.

Headset

If a threadless headset (likely what you have) is tight or loose, it can be tightened easily with a multi-tool. Loosen the stem, then adjust the nut on top of the steer tube appropriately, then retorque the stem.

The general guidance is to tighten the top nut until snug, then back off a quarter turn.

To check, hold the front brake and rock the bike. You should feel no play in the headset. Pick up the front end and nudge the handlebars; they should move freely and smoothly to one side without ‘notching’.

Chains

If a link breaks, you will need a chain tool to replace the link, or shorten the chain temporarily. Shortening the chain will affect shifting, but you might not even notice.

If a quick link breaks and you cannot find the parts, then remove links as necessary and rejoin the shortened chain with a chain tool.

If a quick link breaks and you have the pieces, then reattach the quick link.

If the link is a KMC-style, then simply reassemble and crank until it clicks into place.

If the link is a SRAM-style, then squeeze the retaining plate into place, or push it into place with the end of a flat screwdriver.

If you have bent your derailleur hanger, bend it back by hand; use adjustable wrench as necessary.

If your gears are not switching correctly, adjust cable tension at the barrel adjuster. If you are having trouble switching into a lower gear, then add tension by loosening the barrel adjuster. If you are having trouble switching into a higher gear, then release tension by tightening the barrel adjuster.

Brakes

If you have hydraulic brakes, there’s nothing you can do.

If you have cable pull disc brakes, then check the connection at the brake housing. Is it dirty? Is something preventing the cable from moving the arm? Tidy things up as appropriate.

If you have rim brakes, then:

check for dirt or debris preventing the cable from moving freely

check the lever itself

check that the brake mechanism is not damaged; this will vary with the kind of brakes you have – cantilever, V-brake, or caliper brake.